321kW Maserati Levante S on-sale now from $169,990+ORC

The petrol-powered Maserati Levante S has arrived in Australia costing $10,000 more than the diesel variant which spearheaded its arrival here.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE petrol-powered 321kW Levante S has seen significant upgrades to the entire Levante range, including the launch of a GranSport and GranLusso variants. In addition, all Levante variants now feature Electric Power Steering enabling active ADAS, Highway Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Active Blind Spot Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition and a 360-degree camera. Beyond this, there are five brand-new alloy wheels to choose from, five different interior trim choices, two different steering wheels and four different colours for the brake calipers.

The Levante S runs a Ferrari-built V6 petrol engine producing 321kW and 580Nm of torque which is enough grunt to get it to 100km/h in 5.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 264km/h.

“When the Maserati Levante arrived in Australia early this year it provided a uniquely capable car, on and off the road, one that blended Italian style, performance and handcrafted interiors with the ability to go into the bush, climb sand dunes or simply provide a level of flexibility not seen before in a Maserati,” said Glen Sealey, Chief Operating Officer of Maserati Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

“With the Maserati Levante S, the introduction of the GranSport and GranLusso versions and the significant improvements across the range, further hone and refine these abilities, add, in the case of the Levante S, a new level of performance, without losing any of the capabilities that have enabled the Levante to take Maserati to unprecedented sales levels in Australia and around the world.”

I saw my first Levante in the servo at Barwon Heads last weekend . It is , to me at least, a beautiful beast . In that regard, it’s like most Italian cars, quite beautiful . And like most Italian cars , better suited to autostrada travel between your Tuscan Villa and your Milan apartment . God, I’d hate to pay the servicing and parts bill after a weekend on Aussie country roads with hard chip and potholes , and then cheap shite diesel wrecking the innards .My friends Peugeot 308 diesel needs a new fuel pump after ‘failing to proceed ‘ , $4000 ! That’s after a new particulate filter last year at great expense . These exotic Italian cars aren’t engineered with Australia in mind . They need to live in Double Bay or South Yarra .

Isaac Bober

Isaac Bober was born in the shadow of Mount Panorama in Bathurst and, so, it was inevitable he’d fall into work as a motoring writer. He began his motoring career in 2000 reviewing commercial vehicles, before becoming editor of Caravan & Motorhome magazine. He then moved to MOTOR Magazine before going freelance and contributing to Overlander 4WD, 4×4 Australia, TopGear Australia, Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, The Australian, CARSguide, and many more.

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